The Professionals
by sonofon
Summary: —twoshot— In which Hikaru and Kaoru are pickpockets, stealing for a living, and their target is an unsuspecting blond...
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This story takes place in Paris, France. Metro station names and directions have been kept the same and are accurate for the most part. My first fic. Hopefully, I did okay.

(8/27/08): Just some editing, but overall story is the same.

* * *

Upon setting his sight on the woman, Hikaru slung an arm around his brother's shoulder, leaned in, and whispered in his ear: "That one."

"Which one? The print dress one?"

Kaoru squinted and looked towards the direction to which Hikaru was indicating. He spotted a tall, foreigner woman in a floral colored dress, knee-length. Next to her stood a man, presumably her husband, sporting two large shopping bags.

"Yeah. Don't they look like Americans? Tall, loud, and best of all," Hikaru smiled, "full of money."

"They just went shopping." Kaoru slightly lifted his finger only to have Hikaru hiss, "Don't point! Or they'll see us!"

But Kaoru knew that it wouldn't make much of a difference. They were at the Franklin D. Roosevelt metro station, one of the busiest in Paris. It was the connection stop to many other metro lines, and in this crowd, one pointed finger was no different from the next.

"They've already gone shopping," Kaoru dully repeated, "which means they have a depleted wallet. Don't you see the bags?"

"Those are Louis Vuitton bags," Hikaru noted. "You don't pay cash at Louis Vuitton. Like any American, they'd have used one of their many credit cards. We just want the cash since credit cards are of no use to us anyways."

"Whatever. I'm not going to argue with you on this one. So what are we going to do?" Kaoru asked, leaning back against the yellow bench.

"I think Situation A is good enough. This one is too easy for anything else."

"Situation A?" Kaoru raised one eyebrow at his twin. "If you're so confident, then why don't you do it by yourself then?"

Hikaru sneered back, "Just as I intended." Looking up at the metro timetable, he added, "The subway's coming. Just you wait, Kaoru. Tonight, we'll feast."

Glancing down the subterranean tunnel, Kaoru spotted the oncoming shadow of the metro. He knew the routine.

Hikaru would follow behind the American as they gathered in front of the doors. Franklin D. Roosevelt was such a busy location, full of people bustling to and fro that everyone fought to get on first. Being squished to the brim of the subway was common, and this was how Hikaru would get the wallet.

Because his hands were full carrying undoubtedly his wife's newly bought luxury goods, the man's pocket was wide open to scrutiny.

Even from a good twenty meters away, Kaoru could see the outlined bulge of a wallet. He wondered if the American knew how obvious his wallet appeared.

It was almost sad, he thought. Like stealing candy from a baby.

A loud click jolted Kaoru from his thoughts. The metro door had opened, and people were pushing their way out – and in.

Kaoru gave a light smile. _Le Américain_ would never know what hit him.

Twenty seconds later, Hikaru was by his side again, a wide grin on his face. "Let's get out of here," he said.

Hikaru quickly stuffed the money into his coat pocket. As he had predicted, there were numerous credit cards inside, all of which his threw away into random trashcans they walked past. The wallet itself was also thrown away.

It was a successful job. Quick and easy.

The man would probably end up realizing his wallet was gone some time soon, Kaoru imagined. He would probably go berserk, call the police, and search the entire Franklin D. Roosevelt metro stop for the wallet he would never find.

They did not fear the police. In such instances, they were usually gone in a blink of an eye, and since the man had never seen Hikaru, he had no face to go by. The police would drop it, and only tell the unfortunate American to be more careful; Paris was full of roaming pickpockets.

It was only when Hikaru and Kaoru reached the cramped one-room apartment called home that they dared to look at the day's loot.

"It's good," Hikaru said, though it was apparent from his tone that he was disappointed. "One hundred and sixty-five euros. Some change. Two hundred in U.S. dollars. We can exchange that, I guess." He paused. "Who brings American money when they're vacationing in France?"

"Who knows?" Kaoru said. "Tourists will be tourists."

--

It hadn't started out that way at all. Hikaru and Kaoru had never intended to become pickpockets; it just happened that way.

The first time they stole something was a loaf of bread because they were starving. They were living somehow off the streets; sometimes they were lucky enough to get scraps of food from sympathetic tourists.

At seven, Hikaru convinced Kaoru to steal bread from the street vendor together. They conspired a plan, and it began with Kaoru walking up to the street vendor and asking to look at the sandwiches in the display box.

While the vendor's attention was on Kaoru, his twin sneaked behind to snatch the bread.

It worked, and it became their routine, and the twins slowly became bolder and bolder in their endeavors.

Once, it went wrong. The vendor turned around just in time to see Hikaru holding onto a bag of croissants. Kaoru had been so sure that they would be caught, but they managed because of luck.

The vender, confused by the sight of two people who looked exactly the same at two different places, had been temporarily stunned.

Hikaru and Kaoru used that time to conveniently bolt out.

Then, there eventually came a time when stealing bread became a much more dangerous practice. More and more vendors were starting to hear of this young duo of thieves.

They had to turn to something else to survive.

It was a game called "Which One is Hikaru?"

The two would purposely stand along a busy tourist street (Champs-Élysées is a good example), and they would shout out, "Can you guess which one is Hikaru?"

Eventually, someone would try, and this attracted attention, until a small crowd had gathered. They were captivated by the two twins, so similar in looks. Whenever a person lost, they would usually toss a few coins into a box which the twins had set up.

"I'm sorry, but I'm Kaoru. That's Hikaru," or, "I'm sorry, but I'm not Hikaru," were near about the only words they said.

It was a wild success.

No one ever guessed right. No one could ever tell them apart, and Kaoru was beginning to suspect that that was what it was going to be like forever. He learned to keep his face void of emotion as yet another tourist called him Hikaru. He learned not to feel disappointed as another tourist muttered, "They're the same. Like clones."

He wanted to say that they were different. He wanted to protest. But he did not find the voice, did not find the courage. As a result, they earned a lot of money. It was a source of great psychological pain though.

He was sure that Hikaru felt the same way, but they never discussed the matter. There were more important things to worry about, like food or water.

They could never survive without the other, was never out of the sight of the other for long. This was how they passed the years.

And this was how they became professionals.

--

With a confused look on his face, the blonde carefully studied his map. If he was at Montparnasse–Bienvenüe as the signs so claimed, then he was supposed to make a left here, a right there, and voila! – he would be at train terminal twenty-eight.

But the growing number of people pushing in front of him made him rethink his decision, and again, he slumped down onto the bench.

_I'm lost, aren't I?_

Once enthusiastic about going home on his own, he now sorely regretted his eagerness. It looked like it was going to be a lot harder than he initially thought. Who would have known that so many commoners used public transportation?

Tamaki wondered if it was too late to call for a taxi, and just call it off.

_No._

He couldn't give up. He was going to get through this challenge, no matter what it took. He was going to be positive. He was–

"I can do it!" Tamaki stood up and exclaimed. His sudden burst startled other sitting passengers. They looked at him. He looked down, embarrassed.

_No matter what, I can do it!_

But he shrank down and asked himself: how was he going to find the train terminal when he had never been here before?

He scanned the area looking for a potential source of help.

Two bakeries.

One beggar.

Three benches with an ugly shade of green.

Two red-haired boys who seemed to be his age.

_Aha!_

Greatly encouraged, Tamaki stood up and carried his luggage, one in each hand. He walked across to the other side, and said, "Excuse me?"

--

It was Hikaru who looked up. "What do you want?" he asked.

"Actually, I was lost, and I was wondering if you could tell me where train terminal twenty-eight is," Tamaki said, looking at his map from an upside-down view. "I'm going to Lyon, and since this is my first time on a train–"

"Wait." Hikaru held up a hand to stop the talking. "You've never been on a train?"

Tamaki did not seem to notice the sarcastic tone. "No, I haven't," he truthfully said. "I'm looking forward to it. And tell me – is it true that it can go underwater?"

The twins looked to each other and laughed. "What are you, some clown?" Kaoru said, "Because you're really funny."

"So can you tell me?"

Kaoru looked the boy up and down. He was tall, and gave off the sense that he came from a well-bred family. After all, what normal person had never been on a train? He wore a long, leather coat, fitting for the cold weather. It was zippered halfway up his chest.

There was a slight impression of something, most likely a wallet. That meant that there would be another pocket inside the jacket.

They would have to unzip the jacket, unzip the pocket inside the jacket, and then they would have it. Difficult, but not impossible.

Hikaru was thinking the same. They didn't have to consult each other because they recognized it at once.

They had found their target.

"We'll do better," Hikaru said, standing up, "we'll come and show you where it is."

"Really?" Tamaki's eyes brightened up. "That would be so helpful. Thank you very much."

Kaoru stifled his smile. "No problem," he said.

They took the escalator up one level to where the majority of the train terminals were.

"I'm Tamaki. You?"

"Hikaru."

"And Kaoru."

"Twins, huh?" he said. "I hope I can tell you apart."

Kaoru froze, remembering instantly the years of playing the "Which one is Hikaru?" game. Nobody, in all those years, had ever guessed right. It was something that filled him with pride, and at the same time, emptiness.

Sensing the tension in his brother, Hikaru immediately patted his hand. "So where are you going?" he asked Tamaki.

"Lyon. I came to Paris to send my father off."

"Is he going somewhere?"

"Yes." Kaoru thought he saw emotion in the blonde's eyes. "He is going back to Japan."

"You say that as if he doesn't live here," Hikaru said.

"You're right. He doesn't," he replied. They continued walking.

"So here are the terminals sixteen to about twenty, I think," Kaoru said. "For twenty-eight, we have to go further back."

"Please, lead the way," said Tamaki. "Oh, and if you need it, here's a map." He handed it to the twin on the left. "Here, Kaoru," he guessed.

"I'm Hikaru," said the twin, taking the map. He threw it away into the trash. "And don't use it – it's hopelessly out-of-date anyways."

Tamaki stared at the now worthless map. "My map," he whimpered. "Oh well, that's okay. I can trust them!"

The twins walked down, venturing deeper into the station. "Twenty-eight is back here!" Kaoru called, already way ahead of Tamaki.

Hikaru turned towards his brother. "What do you think?" he whispered.

"I have a couple of ideas. You?"

"I was thinking of making him give the coat to us somehow."

"What? We don't have enough time for that."

"Time?" Hikaru said, "We have plenty of time. Who said we were going to lead him there?"

"If that's the case, why are we going in the right direction then? Unless you're planning on going in circles or something."

Hikaru turned back to see Tamaki catching up on them. "He won't know the difference anyhow. We'll think of something, okay?"

"Okay." But Kaoru was still not reassured.

"My," said Tamaki, who finally caught up, out of breath, "this is quite a large station."

Hikaru made a face that said, "You see?" to Kaoru. Towards Tamaki, he said, "Yeah, you see, there are many train terminals behind the ones in the front, but to get there, we have to go around, and that takes time. What time is your train?"

"I don't know," Tamaki said. "It doesn't say."

"Oh, that just means you can take any time then. You have all the time in the world."

"All the time in the world," he mouthed. "Okay, then, lead the way!"

Giving an awkward smile, Hikaru said, "Yeah, whatever you say."

Hikaru was not lying about the train time. One can buy a ticket from a specific platform, but one does not need a specific time. On one day, there are a numbered amount of trains from Paris to Lyon, but enough for a lenient schedule.

Fifteen minutes later, Hikaru and Kaoru still had not led Tamaki to platform twenty-eight.

"Hey guys," Tamaki said, slightly panting, "are you sure we aren't lost?"

"You said so yourself: it's a large station," Kaoru provided. He looked at the trailing blonde in the thick jacket, pulling two large suitcases. "Aren't you hot?"

"You don't say," he said. Spotting a bench, he sat down. He took off his jacket.

"Want me to hold it?" Kaoru offered nonchalantly.

Tamaki seemed reluctant. It _was_ leather, and expensive leather at that. But in the end, he relented. If it got dirty, he could just get a new one. Besides, he trusted these two.

"Thanks a lot…Hikaru?" he guessed. "I'm right, aren't I? Aren't I?"

"Wrong. I'm Kaoru. You've been wrong for the last ten times," Kaoru said.

"Ten times? You actually counted?"

"Pretty much," he countered. "Going to give up now?"

"Never," Tamaki smiled, "I'll get it right before we find that elusive train platform!"

"Is that a bet?" Hikaru challenged. "Wanna wager on that?"

"Betting?" Tamaki said. "How scandalous!"

"Are you saying that you would lose if you did?" Kaoru quickly fired back.

"What – never!"

"How about this, then?" Hikaru offered. "If you guess right, we'll find the platform within one minute."

"But if you're wrong," Kaoru finished, "you'll have to pay us one hundred euros."

"One hundred euros?" Tamaki said. "What makes you think I have that much money on me?"

"Tamaki," Kaoru said, "I've known you for only minutes, and I already know that you are a man of your word. You wouldn't back down now, would you?" He tightened his grip on Tamaki's jacket. He felt the wallet, and he relaxed.

"Why, I – I'll accept!" Tamaki cried, who was so upset that his honor was being challenged that he didn't realize that he had been foolishly led around.

"Good choice," Hikaru said.

The target had been caught in their trap. He wasn't going to win, and when the time was right, it was _au revoir_ to his wallet.

--

"Hikaru." Tamaki pointed to the one on the left. "I know I'm right this time. I'm sure of it."

"Wrong again," Kaoru said. "I'm Kaoru."

"And that's twenty-nine failures," Hikaru deadpanned. "You know, this is getting boring."

"No, I'm getting closer now," Tamaki reasoned. He rubbed his hands together and closed his eyes.

The twins took this time to shuffle around. When Tamaki opened his eyes again, he pointed to his left again, "Kaoru!"

"Hikaru. That makes it thirty unsuccessful attempts."

"I checked the train schedules," Kaoru said, "and I hope you know that the last train to Lyon leaves in five minutes."

"Five! And I haven't guessed right either," Tamaki announced.

"Well, you probably weren't going to anyways," Hikaru said. Upon hearing this, Tamaki did something strange. He crouched on the ground, holding his knees to his chest. His back was turned to the twins. Hikaru raised an eyebrow, and added, "But if it makes you feel better, nobody ever does."

Tamaki was up again.

_That was a fast recovery, _Kaoru thought.

"I'm sorry then. I'll have to take my leave of you now." Tamaki gathered his suitcases, and brushed the dust from his clothes. "I must say it was quite fun though. Maybe I'll see you two around sometime again."

_You'll never see us again. You'll never hear from us again._

Tamaki turned away to leave, and Hikaru called out, "Your coat!"

"Oh, my. Thank you for reminding me." Tamaki accepted it back. He turned left, and Kaoru wondered how dim-witted this boy was.

"You know, we're at terminal twenty-seven," he said. "And twenty-eight is right there, in front of us."

Looking up, Tamaki saw the sign which blatantly confirmed Kaoru's statement. "I see! Thank you!"

He ran towards the train door and got inside. He found a window seat, and waved to Hikaru and Kaoru. They waved back with big smiles.

What nice people, Tamaki thought to himself. He felt the train move, and then, he was off.

He had done it. He had found the train! Well, sort of. He couldn't wait to see his mother again when he got home. She, for one, would be eager to hear about his adventure.

"An interesting character," Hikaru said to Kaoru, "wouldn't you say?"

"A bit dumb, but all the better for us, right?" he replied.

"Definitely," and Hikaru took out Tamaki's wallet.

"But still, I kind of liked him," Kaoru said.

"Why?"

"Well, he kept trying to tell the difference between us. Nobody ever did that before."

"So what are you saying? Send the wallet back to him?"

"Well, not quite," Kaoru said.

--

One sitting at the other end of the train could hear Tamaki's cry of despair as he realized what had happened.

He thought to when his wallet could have been taken, and he realized: when he had given it to an all too helpful twin. Evil Kaoru!

Tamaki would never know that he had guessed right.

The twins would never know that they had finally been beaten at their own game.

But one week later, Tamaki received something in the mail.

He opened a bulky envelope, and took out – lo and behold! – his wallet.

Startled, he flipped it open. Everything, credit cards, coupons, and identification, was still there. He couldn't believe that those thieves had actually mailed it back to him; he was so stunned to see that the only thing missing was the cash.

They never met each other again, and that was fine for Tamaki, who learned one very important lesson from his experience.

Never listen to any devil red-haired twins.

And after that, he never took the public train again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes:** I hadn't intended to continue this, but I suddenly had a burst of inspiration. I don't know if any more chapters will follow, but for now, please enjoy this chapter.

* * *

"Do you think he knows?"

"Knows what?"

"That we thought he was different?" Hikaru leaned onto his brother. "That was why we sent the wallet back to him?"

"Perhaps. But why do you care?" Kaoru pushed Hikaru off, and he fell back onto his back, staring at the ceiling.

"I dunno. Just wondering."

The apartment turned quiet, the hum of the fan overtaking the room. The window was slightly open to let the air in, if not to keep the mosquitoes out. The Parisian weather by mild by July standards this year, which made Kaoru wonder if this was the impact of global warming.

"I'm bored." It was Hikaru who said this. He was still lying on the floor, looking at nothing in particular. "Let's go out."

"To do what?"

"Get some money." Hikaru rolled over; he was facing Kaoru now. "Let's go to a different metro stop. How about Montparnasse again? The rap should be over by now – it's been a week."

"Why so eager?"

Hikaru made a face. "Kaoru," he whined, "I'm _bored_."

And that was enough of an argument for Kaoru. It was never good for a Hitachiin to be bored.

After they left the apartment, Kaoru began to wish that they hadn't left in the first place. The heat, though mild, was especially humid today which made it even worst. He was already swatting at flies once out the door, and when he turned he saw that Hikaru was doing the same.

The time was three-fifteen in the afternoon. Kaoru began to wish that they'd left later. There would be more people then.

But Hikaru now suddenly possessed an energy that was too much for him, and so he was led by the hand to the metro stop they lived by: the Saint Sulpice stop.

As usual, there was hardly any people there, and they rode until they reached Montparnasse, a number of stops later.

Montparnasse was another story altogether. People were shoving to get the better position, but the two brothers did not have to try hard to be together. After so many years in the Paris underground, they were used to it.

When they finally reached the train terminal section, the same place where they'd pick pocketed the clueless blonde a week earlier, Hikaru stopped.

Now it seemed like he was finished, his energy gone.

Kaoru was upset about this. "Now what?"

Hikaru shrugged. "What do you want to do?"

"I thought you had something in mind."

"Haven't thought of it yet."

"Great," and Kaoru sighed. Just great.

Hikaru turned towards him. "Maybe we can go find Mori-senpai and Hunny-senpai. They might have something to do."

"If you didn't have something in mind," Kaoru chose his words carefully, "then why did we come out in the first place?"

"Instinct." Kaoru sighed again.

So the two dragged themselves to a nearby bench, hoping that something might happen soon, because if nothing did, there would soon be _two_ bored Hitachiins.

The Devil's arithmetic.

One plus one equals two.

--

Five minutes in the train station, and Renge was already hating it. Why, oh why, did she have to be here? She held no interest in the lives of commoners, was no sudden commoner aficionado, and yet she was here.

She hated Tamaki for it.

She'd been asked by her father to visit him – you haven't seen him in ages, he claimed – and that was the only reason why she was willing to go. She never liked going away from Paris, and she certainly did not like Lyon, where Tamaki and his mother lived.

At first, she didn't remember Tamaki, even when her father said that they had met a few years ago, at a party. But Renge had been to so many parties in her short life so far that one social dance was no different from the next.

It wasn't until a picture was produced, shown to her, that she'd remembered.

"Oh," she said, "oh."

And she went. She suspected a possible marriage out of this; perhaps her father wanted a connection to the Suou Family? Personally, Tamaki was not her type, he was too gregarious, too outgoing for her (though that was her character exactly). She always had preferred the mysterious type. She remembered the boy now. He was the one who stole every girl's heart the moment he entered.

Not hers, though, and it gave Renge a sense of pride

But then (why, oh why), was she taking a train? Sure, she had heard the rumors of Tamaki's mother's family in hard times, but had they sunk so low that they could not afford a private plane for her?

Was that too much to ask for?

Instead, she'd been given a time, a ticket, and a stern warning. Be careful, Tamaki had told her, but what in the world did that mean? He told her it was one of the best experiences in his life, and didn't she want to experience it too?

No, she wanted to say, but of course, who can say no to the possible Suou heir?

She stood now with a cart of luggage at her side. She was sure she looked absolutely ridiculous like this, and she made sure to note this to Tamaki. If she ever made it there, of course. He was the going to be the reason of fault for everything today.

Her train time was four-fifteen, but it was already three forty-five right now, and Renge was quite sure that she was lost. There were so many people, none of whom she recognized. (Though, if she _had_ recognized any of these common folk, what was that saying about _her_ social standing?)

Now would have been a good time for her prince to magically appear and whisk her off to Lyon. She would be saved, and it would have been a good story to tell, too.

But, alas. Renge was smart enough to know that princes did not appear out of nothing and she was smart enough to know that even if he did appear, it would not be at a common folk train station.

--

"No answer." Hikaru flipped shut his phone, and wrapped his arm around Kaoru. "Hunny and Mori-senpai must be out of town."

"So why are we here." Hikaru was noticing that Kaoru was growing increasingly more annoyed. What was his problem?

"Who should I call next?" he wondered aloud. "Well, there is one person left."

"Oh God." Kaoru hung his head back. "Don't call him. I don't want to see him. Not today."

"A problem with seeing me?"

Both twins looked up, and it was indeed the last person that Kaoru wanted to see.

"Kyouya-senpai," Hikaru acknowledged. "What brings you here?"

"Perhaps a sudden impulse," he replied, "no more than you."

"You've been gone for a while," Hikaru continued, "and we thought you went off and got yourself married. Or died, or something like that."

"Really." There didn't seem to be any look of surprise to Kyouya's face.

"Why do you decide to come today?" Kaoru now said.

"It's simply a matter of business," Kyouya said, "but I'm not disclosed to tell you anything."

"We don't _want_ to know anything," Kaoru said, "so you can keep it to yourself."

"Well, someone is a bit short-fused today." There was a smirk on his face, and Kyouya wasn't afraid of letting the twins know that.

The dark-haired man walked away after that, and Kaoru was not sad to see him go. Ohtori Kyouya was someone not to be messed with, but that didn't mean you couldn't like him.

Kyouya had been born to a powerful family in the underworld, and he constantly used his connections for his own purposes. On the other hand, Hikaru and Kaoru had no standing even in the underworld, and they were seen as mere pickpockets.

It was natural, even understandable, that the two parties shared a strained relationship when one considered their backgrounds.

--

Renge was only moments away from complete panic. She knew this, yet she also knew that she could do nothing to prevent it.

Her appearance was probably ragged now, her features frozen with fear. It was unladylike of her to look like that, but she decided that it probably didn't matter here in the common folk world.

Someone came behind her and bumped into her. As she turned around to scold that person, she realized she was looking into the face of a handsome boy.

"I apologize, it would appear that I have not been paying attention." He smiled now, and she decided that it was a beautiful smile.

"It's no problem," she quickly said, for she did not want to seem the nagging type.

"If that's the case, I apologize again for my behavior. I suppose it was because I thought you would move. You've been standing there for a while now."

"Have I?" Unconsciously, Renge walked to the other side of her pushing cart. She leaned on it.

"Yes," and the boy's face looked into hers. She was captivated by him, she decided. "Perhaps you are lost?"

She focused her gaze on him now. He wore glasses, a neat pair set on the bridge of his nose, giving off a scholarly vibe. He was dressed well. He had manners.

Renge decided that she could, for now, trust him. "Yes," she replied, "I am. Perhaps you could help?"

--

The job would be done swiftly, Kaoru thought. That was the way Kyouya operated, the way his entire family, known to outsiders as the Ohtori Group, operated. They were all the sneaky types, the ones who looked like your savior but was actually the traitor. The Benedict Arnold(s).

He was the one who offered help in your time of need, and you were so grateful that you didn't even notice the warning signals going off in a frenzy.

Renge was pointing in a direction. "That way? Or that way?"

"That way." Kyouya pointed to an entirely different direction, and he helped push Renge's luggage cart, with the brown-haired girl following after him.

In fact, his mere appearance should have been a warning signal. The neatness was almost too prim, too impeccable, but you fell for it anyway. He was too good to be true.

His hand reached for the bag lounging languidly on the handlebars, sneaking inside. Renge didn't even notice. She was too slow. She had already been predestined for doom.

He was fast, though, and you had to give him that. He was a true professional. His technique was flawless, he was smooth, unlike the Hitachiins' rough methods and constant improvising.

Within a second the wallet was within his pocket, slid inside without any notice from Renge. She was happy because she thought she had possibly just found her prince. In a train station! It was a romantic notion that she busied herself with.

"Here we are," Kyouya said, stopping.

"Really?" Renge looked up at him. "Thank you!"

"It is no problem, miss. The train should be here in approximately five minutes."

"Oh." The corners of her mouth turned into a small 'o.'

She thanked him profusely, her natural charm flowing out like a left-on tap. It all went to waste on the Ohtori, who replied that it was no problem, really. He'd been coming in this direction.

He left after that, his figure receding into the crowd. Kaoru likened it to that of seeing a rescue ship drift off further and further away from the island on which you were stranded upon.

In no time, Kyouya had appeared by the twins again, both still sitting in the same bench.

"Well," he said, "I'll be seeing you around sometime, Hitachiins. Best of luck to you."

"Same to you." They didn't even know why Kyouya bothered to keep up with formalities.

Finally, Hikaru stood up. He stretched and yawned. "Let's go back home," he said, "I'm tired."

"Now you want to go home," Kaoru rolled his eyes. What a waste of time today.

Hikaru felt the back pockets of his pants to fish out his metro card.

It was gone. His hand immediately shot into his other pocket. Then his front pocket.

All were failures.

"Oh shit." Hikaru was gapping now.

Kaoru turned to the crowds. Kyouya, as expected, was already gone. He turned back to his brother.

"Lost it, huh?"

"That…that sneaky bastard!" He was referring to Kyouya, his eyes scanning over the area. There was no hope.

He was truly mad now. Fuming, fuming mad, a volcano almost.

"See?" Kaoru drawled. "Told you we shouldn't have come out today."

"No, damn it! I hate that Ohtori! I hate it, I hate it!"

"Oh, come on," and this time it was Kaoru who dragged Hikaru back into the metro stop. A pickpocket who was pick pocketed by a pickpocket.

Now _that_ was an interesting story.

--

"Pick pocketed? Oh dear," she said. "Renge-san, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Renge managed, "but I-I thought it was a good person! How was I supposed to know?"

"Tamaki was talking about this the other day," his mother said, nodding her head. "A big problem nowadays, I believe. You should be more careful. Commoners can be expecially rough."

That was useful information, Renge thought, now that she had already been pick pocketed.

"Well, I'm on the train at least," she said. "I should be there soon."

"Yes, of course," Tamaki's mother said, "he will be there to pick you up. I can imagine that you two will have plenty to talk about."

"What do you mean?"

"Did you not know? Tamaki was pick pocketed last week. You two already have something in common."

To be pick pocketed, Renge wanted to say, was not the best thing to have in common.

But she did not say this, and so she only replied, "Yes, of course, I will see you soon."

* * *

For the purposes of this chapter (possibly story), Renge is probably more ditzy and clueless than she usually is.

Read and Review!


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